Society Conducts Meeting September 16 2016 in Williamsburg The Society s Board of Direction met at 3pm September 2016 at the Woodlands Hotel Conference Center in Williamsburg. Attending were thirteen Board of Direction members and eight regular members Our publicity at the building entrance
Friday 16 September 2016 Board of Directors Meeting Agenda 3:00 PM Woodlands Hotel & Suites, Williamsburg, Magnolia Room 1) Call to Order & Opening Remarks President Chuck Poland
2) Invocation Chaplain Dave Howard 3) Pledge of allegiance Past President Lyman 4) Minutes of the previous BOD meeting 5) Report of Officers and Committees a) First VP Report b) Registrar s Report c) Treasurer s Report d) Quartermaster s Report e) Chaplain s Report f) Historian s Report g) Color Guard h) Committees: (1) Mike Lyman (2) Ken Williamson 6) Old Business 7) New Business a) Election of Counselors: Pr Nominees Charles Belfield Bill Collier John Epperly Ken Williamson James Green b) Past Presidents Mike Lyman Thadeus Hartman John Maxwell Dennis Fritts c) Update committee members 8) Benediction Chaplain Dave Howard Adjournment President Chuck Poland SOCIETY OF THE WAR OF 1812 IN VIRGINIA HISTORIAN S REPORT September 16, 2016
Since the June annual meeting, my work for the Society has included two historical preservation efforts. The first of these has been to work on behalf of the Society with Dr. Carol Patterson and local Richmond preservationists to try to persuade the City of Richmond to maintain the historic footprint of Brook Road in downtown Richmond. Brook Road, a colonial road predating the City s grid system, was the main north-south road out of Richmond to the north during the Revolutionary War and War of 1812. So far, preservation group efforts have been unsuccessful, and litigation against the City is being contemplated for violation of its own architectural review rules. Secondly, I sent a letter on behalf of the Society to VDOT to urge VDOT to pick a highway alternative in the area of Craney Island (in the Elizabeth River near Portsmouth) which does the least damage to the island and the waters around it, the site of the key Battle of Craney Island during the War of 1812. This letter was in support of efforts by the Citizens for Fort Monroe National Park, the Norfolk Historical Society, and the Norfolk Preservation Alliance (lead by our member Carter Furr). No decision on a highway path has been made yet by VDOT. Respectfully submitted, Peter E. Broadbent, Jr., Historian Mike Lyman s Report to Board of Directors Sep 16 2016 Status Captain Vincent Shackleford Historical Sign: He was the commander of the Richmond County Militia at the Battle of North Farnham Church on Dec 6 th, 1814, who was wounded in the battle. At the Society s General Membership Meeting in June 2015, Charles Belfield was given permission to proceed to obtain approval from church officials to procure and mount a sign at the church which recognized him. After the language for the sign was approved, and the church vestry gave their approval, I obtained the cost of a pole mounted sign from C P Dean, Inc. of $2370. By e-mail the BOD approved the purchase provided we could obtain a grant of $1000 from the General Society War of 1812. Working with Belfield, and Treasurer, Newcombe a request was submitted to the General Society Grant Committee for $1000 that was approved. (I am a voting member of that Committee).The plaque was then ordered, and as of Sep 15 th has not been shipped. It will have a pole at each end to give it better support. The total cost to the Society is $1370. A time of the unveiling ceremony has not been established. The wording is as follows; CAPTAIN VINCENT SHACKLEFORD On December 6, 1814, British naval and marine forces landed at nearby Morattico on the Rappahannock River and marched inland to destroy militia then gathering at Farnham Church. Defending at Farnham Church was a Richmond County artillery unit of nearly one hundred men commanded by Capt. Vincent Shackleford. During the skirmish with British forces, two militia soldiers were killed and two were wounded, including Captain Shackleford, who was captured and later paroled. He carried a musket ball in his leg until his death on February 12, 1820. In his will, Captain Shackleford requested that the ball be extracted and the indelible impression to be made by such a memento, may instill the strongest and lasting principle of courage and patriotism in the young and tender minds of our mutual offspring. May the sacrifices of these brave men never be forgotten. Dedicated 2016 by the General and Virginia Societies of the War of 1812
Society Web Site: Six postings to the site have been done since the annual membership meeting in June 2016. View at www.1812va.org Status of an Addendum to our Society book, Burials of War of 1812 Veterans in the Commonwealth of Virginia, published by Heritage books, 2012 The plan was to have an addendum at least partially ready by the time of this September BOD meeting. This publication has been worked on by me, the complier/editor and Billy Simmons as the assistant editor. I have been sending Billy new burials with all the needed data since 2012 and Billy has been posting them like the original book in text form and developing the appendices. On Sep 9 th Billy sent me his latest listings, consisting of 554 new burials, less 15 deletions equaling 539. Adding the 4442 in the book, that gives us a total of 4981, 19 short of the 5000 that I thought we had and needed for the addendum. We also have 190 up-dates requiring a rewrite of the veteran s paragraph for the addendum which Billy has made. The decision then is to continue to find and incorporate at least 19 more burials. Perhaps by the Feb 2017 BOD we will have a camera ready copy of the addendum ready for BOD approval. The CD prepared by me that will be passed out to attendees at the meeting will include all the latest burials and those in the burial book. Up-Coming Events: The society will be involved in three events on Saturday, October 1 st a. A portion of the Society Color Guard will march in a Montross Day parade in Montross in Westmoreland County at 10 am. This will involve at least Charles Bellfield, Hugh Markham and perhaps others b. A ceremony conducted by the Friends of the Shockoe Hill Cemetery in Richmond will unveil among other veterans, two War of 1812 Veteran s Administration gravestones in the cemetery at 1pm. Needed is at least is one Society officer or member to present a wreath in the ceremony This representative needs to have a wreath made, and to have photos taken of each 1812 gravestone, a group photo taken of the 1812 attendees by the wreath and 1812 grave stones, and to obtain a copy of the program. And of course to get his name on the program real soon by contacting President Shepherd at cshepherd@shockoehillcemetery.org These photos and program need to be sent to me as soon as convenient after the ceremony for posting on the website and for our newsletter. c. A ceremony involving a VA Historical Road sign unveiling will be conducted at 10 am in the Willaby s Restaurant parking lot at the foot of the bridge in Lancaster County at the entrance to Route 3, Norris Bridge going over the Rappahannock River. Stuart Butler is a guest speaker, and I am displaying our flags and presenting our society wreath. The sign wording is: 69 Slaves Escape to Freedom About 2,400 enslaved African Americans in Virginia escaped to the British during the War of 1812, encouraged in part by a proclamation issued on 2 Apr. 1814 offering them freedom and resettlement in His Majesty s Colonies. Three enslaved men from Corotoman, a plantation two miles west of here, fled on 18 Apr. 1814. Several days later, they guided British barges back to carry off friends and relatives, including 46 children, the largest group of slaves to leave a Chesapeake Bay plantation during the war. Most settled in Nova Scotia or Trinidad. British reparations later compensated some owners for departed slaves, including, in 1828, those from Corotoman. Mike Lyman
Photo below shows President Charles Poland presiding (standing) Above From right to left: Carter Furr, Mike Lyman, Peter Broadbent, Chuck Poland, Bill Nash, Charles Belfield and Hugh Markham
Above R/L; Peter Broadbent, Bill Nash Charles Belfield, Ken Wood, Bob Volger, Larry Arron R/L: James Thacker, John Epperly, Mike Weyler, (behind not shown Thad Hartman), Bill Collier, Dennis Fritts, Ken Williamson, Paul Snyder, Stuart Butler; Carter Furr, Mike Lyman; Peter Broadbent, Bill Nash, and Charles Belfield
Below is a photo of the majority of the members that attended
Above: President Charles Poland gives greetings on September 17 th that followed the War of 1812 meeting at VA Society Sons of the American Revolution Luncheon (See program below)